Wal-Mart Workers Win $62M for Lost Break Time

Philadelphia, APhiladelphia judge on Wednesday awarded Wal-Mart workers who previously won $78.5 million in damages for working off the clock an additional $62.3 million.

About 125,000 workers will receive $500 each under a state law invoked when a company withholds pay for more than 30 days without cause.

Common Pleas Judge Mark Bernstein’s ruling comes after a Philadelphia jury last year awarded the workers the exact amount they had sought, rejecting Wal-Mart’s argument that some people chose to work through breaks or that a few minutes of extra work here and there was insignificant.

The Pennsylvania class-action suit involves 187,000 current and former employees who worked at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club from March 1998 through May 2006. The initial $78.5 million award represented the wages lost by those workers.

A smaller number—about 125,000—qualified for the damage award Wednesday. The others were excluded by legal time limits and are seeking interest on the back wages.